Iran sent two monkeys into the space back in 2013. The first monkey (Aftab or Sun) was sent in January to an altitude of about 120km (75 miles) in a Pishgam rocket for a sub-orbital flight before returning intact to the Earth. The second monkey (Fargam or Auspicious) was sent in December as part of a programme aimed for manned space flight.

Now, head of the Aviation Research Centre at Iran’s Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Fat’hollah Ami, says Iran’s space programme is going on smoothly and efforts are underway to send a manned spaceship into space within the next eight years.

He said the Aviation Research Centre is now focused on its main goal to send man into the space by the next eight years. “We have had serious negotiations with Russian space centres and they are expected to give us their final reply,” he said.

According to a Farsi report by the Arya News Agency, he elaborated on the aviation achievements of the Islamic Republic of Iran over the past years and said following their great achievement by launching the largest orbital carrier rocket into space, the Iranian researchers are now trying to launch new multistage orbital rockets.

“At present, 10 high-skilled Iranian pilots are taking special training courses. At the end of the day, we will pick up two of them for long-range flights into the space,” he said.

Iranian Space Monkeys Give Birth to Baby

Iranian Space Monkeys Give Birth to BabyThe two monkeys which were separately sent into the space and returned in perfect health to Earth by Iranian spaceships have given birth to a baby monkey last week.

In an address to a technology conference in northern Iran, Ami said ‘Aftab’ and ‘Fargam’ have given birth to a monkey baby.

He added the monkey baby was born last week, adding the researchers are now studying the effects of space travel on the new-born baby.

Iran has acquired the technology to produce nuclear batteries to be used in health and industrial sectors, an advisor to head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) says.

Asghar Zare'an, who is an advisor to Ali Akbar Salehi, said on Sunday that Iran was the fifth country mastering the technology to produce nuclear batteries after the United States, Russia, France and Britain.

He added that the technology could be used in producing cardiac pacemakers and laptops with additional applications in the oil sector and the relocation of satellites. The official expressed hope that the country would take further steps to develop and commercialize this technology by bolstering the relationship between knowledge-based companies and domestic industries.

The terms atomic battery, nuclear battery, tritium battery and radioisotope generator are used to describe a device which uses energy from the decay of a radioactive isotope to generate electricity. Like nuclear reactors, they generate electricity from atomic energy, but differ in that they do not use a chain reaction. Compared to other batteries they are very costly, but have an extremely long life and high energy density, and so they are mainly used as power sources for equipment that must operate unattended for long periods of time, such as spacecraft, pacemakers, underwater systems and automated scientific stations in remote parts of the world

RoboCup (Originally called as Robot World Cup Initiative) is an international research and education initiative. It is an attempt to foster AI and intelligent robotics research by providing a standard problem where wide range of technologies can be integrated and examined, as well as being used for integrated project-oriented education.

For this purpose, RoboCup chose to use soccer game as a primary domain, and organizes RoboCup: (originally called "The Robot World Cup Soccer Games and Conferences", now called "RoboCup World Championship and Conference"). In order for a robot team to actually perform a soccer game, various technologies must be incorporated including: design principles of autonomous agents, multi-agent collaboration, strategy acquisition, real-time reasoning, robotics, and sensor-fusion. RoboCup is a task for a team of multiple fast-moving robots under a dynamic nvironment. RoboCup also offers a software platform for research on the software aspects of RoboCup. Iranian teams have been an active participant of RoboCup events since 1998. The number of Iranian teams has been largely increasing over the past years. Thereby, the need to have a regional event seemed rather necessary. Furthermore, since the overall number of world interested teams in RoboCup has increased; regional events may and can be a proper field for RoboCup leagues Technical Committees to observe teams qualities for RoboCup World Competitions qualifications. IranOpen is a place for teams willing to take part in RoboCup World Competitions in order to show their qualities and standards. It is also a place for fresh teams to gain experience and become ready to jointhe world class teams.

The first official RoboCup Open event in Iran was organized by Qazvin Azad University which was held at Tehran International Fair in April 07- 09, 2006. This event being the major Robotics event in Iral led to the formation of Iranian RoboCup National Committee in July 2006. RoboCup IranOpen 2006 hosted 116 teams from 5 countries within 7 leagues.

The two VVER-1000 units will be built with Generation III+ technology, including the latest safety features, and have a combined capacity of 2100 MWe, ASE has said. During the ceremony held on 10 September, the two sides signed a protocol on the start of work on the project to build units 2 and 3, known as Bushehr II.

Bushehr units 2 and 3 are to be completed in 2024 and 2026, respectively.

ORNL's neutron source gets an upgrade, thanks to heavy water bought from Iran

Experiments are on hold at Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Spallation Neutron Source as crews replace the facility's inner reflector plug with a new one, filled with six metric tons of heavy water purchased from Iran.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a dramatic speech to the world on Monday evening in an attempt to prevent Iran from overtaking Israel in the nuclear arms race. But in one area Iran has already passed Israel – and by a big margin: Over the past two decades, Iran has been making great efforts to become a scientific superpower and its research and development productivity has risen by exponentially, leaving Israel far behind in measures of production of scientific research.

Twenty years ago Israel was the clear leader in scientific research in the Middle East, and one of the world leaders too, in terms of the volume of scientific research. Since then it has fallen to fourth place in the Middle East, after Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Iran now leads in the number of scientific articles in many fields, such as physics, biology, chemistry and business administration. In the humanities, culture and art, Israel still maintains the top spot. In economic research, Israel has fallen behind Iran and Saudi Arabia too.

The data is also not adjusted for population. This means Iran, with a population of 80 million people, produces more such research than Israel, with less than 9 million people. Regardless, in the past Israel still produced more scientific research in total than these other countries. In 1996, Iranians published only 960 scientific articles compared to about 10,000 by Israelis. Since then, the Iranian figures have climbed to some 41,000 a year, though per capita Israel still publishes more scientific articles than the other countries.

Turkey overtook Israel in the volume rankings back in 2003, and Iran in 2008, while in 2015 Saudi Arabia passed Israel.

The rise of Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia in such rankings reflects enormous government spending on such research as a matter of policy, not just to improve research but also to produce a more educated and skilled labor force.

Iran’s new domestically-manufactured IR-8 centrifuge machines will increase the country’s capacity to enrich uranium 20 times more than the existing IR-1 machines, the spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) says.

Brazil's enrichment technology development, and the plant itself, involved substantial discussions with the IAEA and its constituent nations. The dispute came down to whether IAEA inspectors would be allowed to inspect the machines themselves. The Brazilian government did not allow the inspection of the centrifugal cascade halls, arguing that this would reveal technological secrets (probably relating to the use of a magnetic lower bearing in place of the more common mechanical bearing)

They also claimed that their technology is better than that of the United States and France, mainly because the centrifugal axis is not mechanical, but electromagnetic. Eventually, after extensive negotiations, agreement was reached that while not directly inspecting the centrifuges, the IAEA would inspect the composition of the gas entering and leaving the centrifuge.

Iran's population increased dramatically during the later half of the 20th century, reaching about 80 million by 2016.[1][2] Studies project that Iran's rate of population growth will continue to slow until it stabilizes above 100 million by 2050.[3][4]

According to 2015 population estimates, approximately 73.4 percent of Iran's population lives in urban areas, up from 27 percent in 1950.[24] Changes in urbanization law and regulations eased the urbanization process of rural areas, which created more than 400 cities only in the period of 1996-2005.[25]

In recent years, exacerbation of urban problems has formed two views on urban planning Iran.

This approach asserts that there are not suitable conditions and enough infrastructure to use acceptable new tools in urban planning and states that planners have to follow their traditional way in urban plans.

Thinkers of this approach believe that qualitative changes during the time, insufficient pattern in urban development plans to cater for the demands of society, globalization, and the necessity of adapting to changes with urban plans, necessitate the use of a new pattern in society.

It recognizes the limitations and problems in these plans in the context of Iran and offers a systematic approach as a transition tool from comprehensive approach to strategic approach in the urban planning system.

“Smart Cities” integrate multiple information and communications technology (ICT) and internet of things (IOT) solutions to create more successful and sustainable urban environments. There is growing interest in smart city technologies as governments around the world struggle to manage population growth and the resource consumption of major cities. Smart city transformations can improve quality of life, increase sustainability, and boost economic competitiveness.

Recently, the Iranian government has also expressed greater interest in bringing smart cities technologies to the country. Spearheaded by the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology and the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, the Iranian government is promoting the adoption of smart city technologies and holding various events and conferences to increase awareness among government stakeholders and the business community. Iranian authorities are drawing inspiration from successful cities including Berlin and Seoul in order to adapt proven approaches to suit the Iranian cities.

With almost 120 percent internet penetration rate in Tehran, 110 percent in Mazandaran, 100 percent in Qom, 96 percent in Isfahan, and 95 percent in Khuzestan provinces, Iran already has the essential infrastructure to become “smart.” At a consumer level, Iran has 40 million smartphone users of which 28 million are mobile internet subscribers. Iran’s consumer technology and communications companies are at the forefront of smart city innovation.

MTN-Irancell, Iran’s second largest mobile network provider, is actively promoting the transformation of Iranian cities. Irancell provides relevant equipment and sensors for development of smart cities and is seeking to rollout efficient and reliable systems that will enable municipal governments to collect and manage data securely and transparently. Irancell’s technologies will allow governments to monitor, analyze, manage, and set alerts for selected urban parameters.

To prove its technologies, Irancell launched a pilot program in Khuzestan province in February 2017. Under this plan, 5,000 low-power wide-area network technology gas meters were installed in the province. In March 2017, Irancell also invested in Anzali free trade zone to implement systems for waste management, landscape watering, street lighting, parking spot management and air quality checks.

Another active company in the field is Iranian firm Nobka, which seeks to accelerate the adoption of smart city technologies in the country. One of Nobka’s projects is production of smart portable hospitals, using converted buses and shipping containers, which can support emergency responses to nature disasters. These portable hospitals use smart lighting and ventilation systems and telemedicine software to help the injured in an emergency.

Nobka is also using smart city technologies to support tourism in Gilan Province. The company has installed solar-powered Wi-Fi hotspots and smart lighting systems at Lahijan Lake. It has also used augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to promote tourism to simulate a visit to Lounak Waterfall.

Iran’s capital, Tehran, which is approaching "megacity" status, is the primary target for smart city transformation as the government seeks to address heavy traffic jams, extreme air pollution, high energy consumption, among other challenges. The municipality of Tehran, has been actively promoting the topic, in part by supporting startups which are active in the field.

As part of its promotion efforts, Tehran Municipality, in cooperation with Pardis Technology Park, sponsored the 7th International Innovation and Technology Exhibition (INOTEX 2018). Moreover, the Tehran Municipality ICT Organization regularly holds workshops to educate the policy makers on smart cities and organizes competitions to drive innovation. The organization has also signed an agreement with China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) to spur adoption of smart city technologies. CETC will provide services including consulting, project design and research and development.

Following the withdrawal of the US from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the European governments have sought to support the Iran deal and sustain economic ties between the European and Iranian companies further. Cooperation around smart cities could be an ideal area of focus.

European companies and institutions have demonstrated interest in supporting smart city transformations in Iran. Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) held a workshop in Vienna in June 2017 on “smart city development” for officials from the city of Bushehr, which was selected as a pilot smart city project by the Iranian government. This workshop provided training on topics including the application of ICT for smart cities, urban governance and big data exploration.

While the return of US sanctions poses new challenges for European investment, such educational exchanges should be sustained. European companies and institutions should continue to engage with the Iranian entrepreneurs and urban planners in a non-political environment, demonstrating their goodwill, sharing best-practices, and supporting Iranian dreams of smart cities.

The ministry has identified 150 new projects in the 17 new towns that are under construction, including the construction of residential villas and apartments, business, administrative, recreational and industrial services.

The optimal capacity of 17 cities is estimated at 4 million residents while about 800,000 people are living in 17 newly-constructed towns.

During the meeting, Iran's Minister of Science, Research and Technology Mansour Gholami and Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Masahiko Shibayama explored avenues for development of mutual scientific cooperation.

To explore the genetic diversity of Iran’s desert plants, Hossein Akhani and his colleagues used to send DNA samples to a company in Seoul, which provided fast and reliable sequencing. But a few weeks ago, the University of Tehran biologist says, he received a letter from the company explaining that the South Korean government had advised the firm “not to deal with Iran.

“Currently, Iran and Azerbaijan also cooperate in the field of postal communication, and we also intend to develop these relations. In the future, we also envisage expansion of cooperation in the field of postal financial services,” Jahromi added.

The discussions also included the joint Azerbaijani-Iranian construction of the TASİM fiber-optic cable that would provide another means of telecommunications connectivity between the two countries.

Today, Azerbaijan is a member of space satellite club with three satellites, long-term space industry development programs, and infrastructure and strengthens its position in the global space industry.

Azerkosmos Open Joint-Stock Company was established in May 2010. This is the first Caucasian satellite operator. According to the results of 2017, the company's revenue from commercial use amounted to $ 23 million. In January-June 2018, the satellite services were exported to 19 countries.

Meanwhile, Iran is among the world's top nine cosmic nations today. The Islamic Republic of Iran has already achieved complete turnover of space technology. The full cycle of space technology is based on the use of artificial satellite, ground station, rocket launch system and artificial satellite channel.

In 2010, Iran also sent its first bio-capsule containing living creatures into space, using the indigenous Kavoshgar-3 carrier.

Cooperation in space between the two countries can make a great contribution to the development of scientific researches and telecommunications in the region as well as to develop space experience of both countries.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th Jan, 2019 ) :Iran along with China, Pakistan and Peru are monitoring the space debris through an observatory constructed under the joint investment of Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO), an Iranian official said on Thursday.

Head of Development and Services Department at Iranian Space Agency (ISA) Ali Sadeqi-Naeini told Islamic Republic news Agency (IRNA) that the ISA observatory was a node in the network of APSCO observatories, along with another node in Pakistan besides two others in China.

The observation network is continuously monitoring the space debris and satellites as well as the orbital parameters of the satellites, he added.

'The data obtained through the operation will be provided to all countries,' the Iranian official said.

He noted that Iran was engaged in transactions with United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UN-OOSA), and the country was supporting the SPIDER program of the UN in the region.

The UN-SPIDER is a platform facilitating the use of space-based technologies for disaster management and emergency response.

Nahid-1 is telecommunication satellite, which is manufactured at the ISA. It is a geosynchronous satellite, which is located in geosynchronous orbit, with an orbital period the same as the earth's rotation period, Iran Science Watch website reported. Satellites utilize photovoltaics solar panels, Ku-band communications and satellite imagery are amongst the missions of Nahid-1.

Dousti Satelliteً

Literally means ‘friendship’, Dousti satellite is manufactured at the Sharif University of Technology.

Over 150 experts in different fields of electronics, aerospace, computer science, mechanics and industry from five faculties manufactured the satellite. The satellite takes images with better than 30 meter resolution, investigate of vegetation and monitors water resources.

Dousti will be placed into the orbit 500 kilometers above the earth’s surface.

Payam Satellite

Payam, a 90kg non-military satellite will be send into a 500km orbit using an Iranian Simorgh satellite-carrier rocket.

Manufactured by Amirkabir University of Technology, the image resolution of the Payam Satellite is 45 meters and can stay in orbit for three years.